In a matter of hours, the Broncos will add their newest star, a highly paid scrub or nobody at all.

"We'll concentrate mostly on 31," Broncos general manager John Elway said. "And we'll look around to see if we can trade up or down."

Trade up from their No. 31 selection during the NFL draft's first round Thursday night and the Broncos can get that star, or at least a 2014 starter.

Trade back and the Broncos won't pick until Friday, when the NFL conducts the second and third rounds of its draft.

Stay put at No. 31 and the Broncos might get a player who spends most of his rookie year developing until he is ready to start full time by 2015.

"(First- and second-round picks) will not make an impact by definition of the fact that they are rookies," former NFL general manager Bill Polian said this week on an ESPN conference call. "They have to learn how to play professional football. Even fans would agree. People assume it takes a long time to learn the trade in Major League Baseball. ... In football, we assume rookies will make the difference between winning and losing, and they rarely do."

To get an elite player at a position of need, the Broncos probably would to have trade up. Middle linebacker or cornerback would be their targets.

First, their cornerback situation. The Broncos believe Aqib Talib is a very good No. 1 corner, and they supported their faith by agreeing to pay him $12 million this year. They also believe Chris Harris, an invaluable defensive player the previous three years, will fully heal from his partially torn anterior cruciate ligament injury and start the season opener Sept. 7 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Medical science, though, tends to be less sure. Harris suffered what has been described as a 30 percent tear in his knee, but it still required surgery to repair, and the injury occurred Jan. 12.

If Harris isn't himself until the second half of the season, what are the Broncos supposed to do in the first half against the passing likes of Andrew Luck, Alex Smith, Russell Wilson, Carson Palmer, Colin Kaepernick, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady?

Kayvon Webster could eventually become a top corner, but is he ready to take on elite receivers as a second-year player?

In today's pass-happy NFL, the Broncos cannot afford to get into a season with so many question marks at cornerback. Problem is, the three corners who are rated the best in this draft — Justin Gilbert, Darqueze Dennard and Kyle Fuller — are certain to be long gone by the No. 31 pick.

Jason Verrett also is considered a first-round corner, but he's small. Bradley Roby is a first-round corner, but he has been flagged by a troubled past.

Which of those five corners do the Broncos covet most?

"What's interesting about the corners is that most personnel guys like Roby and Gilbert as their highest-rated corners just because they have better movement skills," NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock said. "Most of the coaches like Fuller and Dennard because they're better football players today. You know what you're getting. Fuller is my No. 1 corner. He has it in his DNA."

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As for middle linebacker, Elway has said he's fine playing Nate Irving on first and second down and having strong safety T.J. Ward perhaps moving to nickel linebacker on third down. This would open up nickel-package playing time for the backup safety likes of Duke Ihenacho, Quinton Carter, Omar Bolden or John Boyett.

Such elaborate rearrangement would be deemed unnecessary, though, if the Broncos can somehow wind up with C.J. Mosley or Ryan Shazier at middle linebacker.

Mosley is the more refined inside backer, and there's a chance he'll fall into the 20s because his body is beaten up from Alabama practices and the Southeastern Conference schedule.

But anyone familiar with Broncos coach John Fox and player personnel director Matt Russell can guess Shazier is high on their draft board. Shazier is uncommonly fast, even if he is light by middle linebacker standards.

Besides corner and middle linebacker, the Broncos also could use a big wide receiver, a running back, a receiver with return ability and maybe another defensive end or right offensive tackle. That depends on how they feel last year's O-line draft picks, Quanterus Smith and Vinston Painter, have come along.

"There are always little needs that you have going into a draft, and we don't really feel like we have huge holes," Elway said.

NFL reporter Mike Klis analyzes five players the Broncos might target in the first round of the NFL draft. Denver has the 31st pick:

1. Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State

He played at 220 pounds as a weakside linebacker, but he bulked up to 237 by the combine for a possible conversion to middle linebacker. He then ran the 40-yard dash like a receiver. Speed like this doesn't last until No. 31. BYU's Kyle Van Noy is another possibility. Associated Press file photo

2. C.J. Mosley, MLB, Alabama

There's a chance his iffy medical report would make him available late. Mosley is considered the truest first-round middle linebacker in the draft. He can thump while ranging from sideline to sideline.

3. Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech

The Broncos would have to trade up to get one of the top three cornerback prospects, the others being Justin Gilbert and Darqueze Dennard. All three are tall by corner standards. Jason Verrett might be there at 31, but would Broncos take a tiny corner?

4. Joel Bitonio, OT, Nevada

The Broncos appear serious about moving Orlando Franklin to left guard. That leaves Chris Clark, Winston Justice and Vinston Painter to compete at right tackle. Besides Bitonio, Alabama's Cyrus Kouandjio would be another possibility.

5. Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana

Eric Decker is gone, and Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker are in contract years. At 6-3, 215, Latimer would be protection against a possible Thomas departure and allow Emmanuel Sanders to slide inside. Other big-receiver possibilities are Donte Moncrief, Allen Robinson and Kelvin Benjamin.

Draft's drama

Sports' greatest reality show returns Thursday with the first round of the 79th annual NFL draft. There are unforgettable moments — see retina-burning suits and agonizing waits in the green room, where 30 players will be this year. There are numerous mistakes — JaMarcus Russell, anyone? And there are mind-bending decisions that change the course of a franchise — the Seahawks nabbed Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman. Broncos reporter Troy E. Renck provides the breakdown of 32 teams making 256 picks, including 32 compensatory choices:

Thursday: Round 1, 6-9:30 p.m., ESPN, NFLN

Friday: Rounds 2-3, 5-9 p.m., ESPN2, NFLN

Saturday: Rounds 4-7, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., ESPN, NFLN

Time limits: First round, 10 minutes per selection. Second round, seven minutes. Rounds 3-7, five minutes.

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